A close game turned into a second-half rout as turnovers and dominant Buckeye receivers took over and guided #3 Ohio State to a 35-7 victory over Iowa on Saturday. Four Downs looks at four of the biggest storylines from the loss.
First Down: The Offensive Struggles Continue
The Iowa offense found some late juice -- Brendan Sullivan took over at QB and guided Iowa to a 74-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter -- but that production came after the game had ceased to be competitive (Iowa trailed 35-0) and against several Ohio State second-team defenders. The more telling stats for the Iowa offense are in the first three quarters when the game was still in doubt -- and those stats were very poor.
Iowa offense through three quarters: 145 yards, 0 points, 3.7 yards per play, three turnovers
Offensive production against ranked opponents has been a glaring issue for Iowa for a while now -- the Hawkeyes were outscored 92-0 against ranked opponents last year and hadn't scored an offensive touchdown against a ranked opponent since early in the 2022 season.
Bringing in Tim Lester as the new offensive coordinator was intended to solve Iowa's offensive woes, but the issues against ranked opponents persist. There were some positive signs in the first half, like three Iowa drives that went into Ohio State territory -- but none of those drives ended in points.
Drew Stevens pushed a 51-yard field goal attempt wide left on one of those drives and Iowa ended up punting around midfield on the other two drives. One of those punts came after a truly disastrous sequence where Iowa converted a fake punt run for a first down, only to have the play negated by a timeout Kirk Ferentz had called right as the ball was snapped.
Iowa's offensive woes got even worse in the second half, as all three third quarter drives ended in turnovers:
* 1 play, 0 yards, fumble
* 7 plays, 51 yards, interception
* 2 plays, 2 yards, fumble
Ohio State took over at the Iowa 40-yard line or better on all three drives and promptly turned those possessions into touchdowns.
Officially, Iowa ran zero plays inside the Ohio State red zone today. The lone touchdown came on a 28-yard run by Kaleb Johnson on a play that was snapped outside the red zone. Explosive scoring plays like that are great, but it's hard for an offense like Iowa's to compete without running some red zone plays.
Second Down: The Defense Held Its Own
On face value, It might seem odd to praise the Iowa defense after it allowed 35 points and 412 yards to the Buckeyes, but the defensive side of the ball played well today despite those numbers. That unit was the only thing keeping the Hawkeyes close at all; the game was 7-0 at halftime because of the prowess of the defense.
The defense faltered today for the same reason it's often faltered in big game in recent years: offensive miscues putting the defense at a severe disadvantage. Only two of Ohio State's five touchdown drives covered more than 40 yards, a 14-play, 88-yard drive to open the game and a 9-play, 86-yard drive out of halftime. The other three OSU touchdown drives were set up by those aforementioned Iowa turnovers in the third quarter, all of which gave Ohio State excellent starting field position.
After allowing 88 yards on the game-opening drive, Iowa only allowed 111 yards on the remaining four drives and forced a pair of turnovers as well as a turnover on downs on a fourth-and-short stop. There were a few defensive breakdowns that were costly, like the coverage slip-up that allowed stud freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith to get behind the Iowa secondary for a 53-yard reception early in the third quarter, but keeping an offense like Ohio State's in check for a full game is an almost impossible ask. Ohio State has multiple players on offense, especially the running back and wide receiver position, who will be playing on Sundays soon -- and they made a few plays that highlighted that fact in this game.
The game ended up a rout, but not because the Iowa defense played poorly. The defense put Iowa in a position to compete, but turnovers by the Iowa offense made the defense's job almost impossible in the second half.
Third Down: Cade McNamara's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Second Half
Cade McNamara had a respectable first half performance: 11-of-16 for 72 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions. He had made a few sharp throws to keep drives going and convert key third-down opportunities and he often did so despite taking several big hits from Ohio State defenders at the end of a play. McNamara wasn't able to lead Iowa on any scoring drives (or even into the Ohio State red zone), but he wasn't playing poorly, though a missed big pass to Kaden Wetjen in the first quarter stuck out, especially as the first half progressed and Iowa struggled to connect on big plays or threaten to score.
Unfortunately Cade McNamara had a terrible second half performance: 3-of-4 for 26 yards, plus -2 yards rushing, two lost fumbles, and an interception. This was an effort that brought to mind Spencer Petras' struggles in the Horseshoe in 2022 (in what ended up being a 54-10 Iowa defeat) or Deacon Hill's gaffes in multiple games last fall.
McNamara was brought to Iowa to provide an upgrade at the quarterback position and to make smart plays that put Iowa in a position to win games. He didn't do that in the second half on Saturday. Give credit to Ohio State's defensive line -- and demerits to Iowa's pass protection -- as pressure contributed to all three of McNamara's giveaways, but those are plays that Iowa can't afford from a quarterback with as much game experience as McNamara has.
Fourth Down: Salute to Jay Higgins
Finally, while this ended up being yet another lopsided loss for Iowa against a ranked opponent and a forgettable day for most Iowa players, one Iowa defender stood out in a positive way. Jay Higgins played at a high level against the Buckeyes, finishing with an impressive final stat line:
14 tackles (6 solo), 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery
Higgins made a big hit on Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith in the second quarter to force a fumble -- then managed to recover the fumble as well in the ensuing scramble. That play came moments after Iowa's ill-fated decision to call timeout and negate a successful fake punt and seemed to give Iowa a bit of momentum again. It didn't amount to anything -- the Iowa offense went 23 yards on six plays and ended up punting again, but that's not Higgins' fault.
Playing against several players who will hear their names called in the NFL Draft over the next few years made Higgins' ability to stand out and make plays even more impressive. Saturday was yet another reminder of the undersized Higgins' ability to compete against some of the best of the best.
